Blog - Painting in Cathar Country
Small Villages in the Ariege and Aude Valleys
The counryside of the Midi-Pyrenees ranges from mountainous to rolling farmland. In the Middle the hills are uplifted limestone and have steep escarpements on one side and long treed slopes on the other. The varied topography is not easy to traverse. Narrow roads,...
The beauty of the Midi-Pyrenees
The Midi-Pyrenees is a study in greens. The earth colours of the villages provide a muted complement. It is difficult to tame the vibrant greens of the landscape.The bright red-orange poppys also accent the greens.
Painting In Cathar Country – Roman Ruins
This old aqueduct was built by the romans and is still in use today delivering water over the top and providing an internal hidden bridge over the river as well. The ruins have been repaired over time but remain largely intact. They are...
Musee Toulouse-Lautrec at Albi, France
The museum of Toulouse-Lautrec is at Albi, a city near Toulouse and holds a significant collection of his work, including his posters. The collection has several sketches, finished and unfinished works as well as concept pieces that show his...
Exploring the Midi-Pyrenees – Caves
Painting in the Midi-Pyrenees – Caves. The limestone composition of the mountains means that faulting from tectonic shifting and the action of water creates caves of various sizes and types. Many of these caves have been...
Exploring the countryside – Cathar Castle Ruins
Painting in the Midi-Pyrenees – The Cathar Castles. We have been to a number of Cathar Castle sites since the beginning of May. This has included the Montsegur, Puivert, Roquefixade, Foix,and Puilaurens. Montsegur...
Finding Art Supplies in Carcassonne France
Painting in the Midi-Pyrenees – Art supplies. This area has few art supply stores and the choice has been going to Toulouse or to Carcassonne. So far I have explored the art store in Carcassonne, Vaissiere Peintures. I managed to purchase a collapsible, light-weight...
Painting in Southern France – Walking Trails
Painting in the Midi-Pyrenees – The trails. This area around Chalebre and Lavalenet are favoured by cyclists and hikers. The number of trails available for every hiker's taste is enormous. So far we have hiked a few that have offered unique...
The Landscape of the Midi-Pyrenees
Painting in the Midi-Pyrenees – The landscape. The area I have explored so far, mainly from Foix in the west to Carcassonne in the East and down to Quillan and beyond in the south east. The landscape moves from rolling hills with small villages and...
Painting Landscapes in Southern France
Panting Landscapes in Southern France, the Midi-Pyrenees to be exact is a study in greens. The spring colours are still on the hills and fields. The mountains are always present, layering into a blue haze in the distance. I have not been...
La Garde du Jardin – Painting in Southern France
This painting is the first since arriving in the Midi -Pyrenees. The goose, actually gander, in question has been making sure that we understand his territory and do not encroach. The guard capacity of geese is legendary and something I have...
Wild Flowers of the Midi-Pyrenees, 2018
Spring in the South of France is full of wild flowers in the foothills of the Pyrenees. I would be happy to learn the names of the various flowers and have so far only identified the spotted orchid.
Painting in the Midi Pyrenees
The countryside is lush and beautiful. In the part of the midi-Pyrenees I am in, the landscapes range from pastoral to forested to dramatic escarpment where the remains of castles are located. It is early May, so a bit cool and rainy. No plein air painting for now. It...
Acrylic Painting – Watercolour effects without the headache
My experiment with learning Acrylic Paint technique continues. I love the watercolour look that can be obtained without the problem of colour lifting. The glaze wash allows mixing colours and increasing intensities of colour that I have never...
The Experiment Continues -Glazing with Acrylic Paint
The next acrylic painting was easier. The real difficulty I am finding is with mixing the colour I want. This used to be much easier in oils. Regardless, I am starting to like acrylic and like the effects you get with glazing transparent colours.
Re-Acquainting with Acrylic Paint
Acrylic Paints were something I tried many years ago and did not prefer over oils, but oils are not packable items for air travel. I decided to move to acrylic paint. They have taken some getting used to. This is my first attempt with acrylics - I...
Paint smart ideas- painting with acrylics
As a newbie in the Acrylic Paint department, I have been struggling with the quick dry feature of acrylic paint. I think I have a great solution - "sandwich bags". It is easy to mix too much paint when you are glazing colours. You mix your colour and then...
Packing Acrylic Paints When Traveling Abroad
Packing art supplies for a trip overseas has always been a matter of trial and error. In the past, I took a small travel watercolour kit and a hardcover sketchbook. Other packable items included erasers, pencils (mechanical with extra leads), sharpeners, limited brush...
Painting in Cathar Country
This summer, I will be living and painting in Cathar Country. Right now, I am trying to figure out how and what to pack for both plein air and studio painting. I have decided to work with Acrylics rather than water colour or pencil crayon. They have such versatility...